For Catholics across the north and west suburbs, there was much to be excited about last week with the selection of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as the church's new pope, Francis I.

About 60 faculty, staff and students gathered around a TV in a resident hall at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, one of the nation's largest seminaries, at the key moment.

They waited in eager anticipation after they heard white smoke had appeared from the Sistine Chapel in Rome, cheering when the new pope appeared on the balcony above St. Peter's Square and joined him in prayer. The bells from a nearby chapel rang in celebration.

Thomas Baima, vice rector for academic affairs, said he was initially surprised by the cardinals' decision to elect Bergoglio. But after seeing him appear on the balcony, Baima decided the Argentine cardinal was a smart choice.

"The election of Pope Francis brings to completion the globalization of the Catholic Church," Baima said. "John Paul went to all corners of the world. Now we have a pope from one of those corners."

Seventh-grade student Andrea Russo said she anxiously watched a live stream of the Vatican in her social studies class at the School of St. Mary in Lake Forest.

With both parents from Latin American, Russo said she was thrilled and shocked when she learned the new pope was from Argentina. Her mom immigrated to the U.S. from Guatemala, her father from Uruguay.

"I think half my mom's family over there are crying and freaking out," Russo said. "It just makes you more proud to be Hispanic."

Russo's mother, Karen, said the fact that the new pope was from the same continent as her made her feel a stronger connection to the church.

"Just having a new pope is very exciting, but it's even better knowing that we're Hispanics and this is the first time that a Hispanic pope has been elected," she said. "It's like how black people felt when Obama was elected."

Many Catholics agree the church is in need of a leader more in touch with world outside of Rome.

"When you think of Pope Benedict, he worked and served in Rome a long time, so he didn't kind of see everything the way the world sees the issues," said Fr. Larry Collins, pastor of St. Mary's Church in Des Plaines. "As an outsider, (Pope Francis) has seen the way the world sees issues."

Some applaud the pope's emphasis on the poor and his humble life in Argentina.

"What I like about him is his lifestyle simplicity, if he can hold on to that in the midst of the Vatican," said Sister Judy Nickels, director of adult education at St. John Neumann Church in St. Charles. "I think his compassion is a very powerful sign of what the church ought to be at its best."

But Nickels and others tempered their optimism by saying the pope would likely face many challenges.

"I know a pope just can't come in and change everything," Nickels said.

Amid the surprise of the church's first Jesuit pope and first pope from Latin America, one northwest suburban Catholic said another thing about Pope Francis shocked him.

"I'm very surprised about his age," said Bob McDonald, 75, as he was leaving Sunday mass at Our Lady of the Wayside Church in Arlington Heights.

"I think he's as old as me," McDonald said. "But he looks like a good man."